Stoic Week 2018 Report Part 3: Impact on Well-being by Tim LeBon

One main activity of the Modern Stoicism organization is carrying out research on the impact of adopting Stoic practices, perspectives, and principles on those who do so. Every year we run the Stoic Week online class, and we also gather valuable data through the surveys before and after participants engage in the class. Tim LeBon is our lead quantitative researcher, and he does invaluable service in compiling and interpreting the data collected, producing a set of Stoic Week Reports. This is the third report for this year, which you can download a copy of (with all of the appendices) by clicking here.

This report forms the third part of the report on Stoic Week 2018. Over 600 participants completed a set of questionnaires both at the beginning and end of Stoic week, allowing us to assess the impact of doing Stoic Week on self-reports on well-being and on levels of Stoicism. For the first time we were using SABS 4.0, a longer and more comprehensive measure of a participant’s degree of Stoicism.

Overall Findings

In terms of improvements in well-being over Stoic Week, the results were similar to previous years, though slightly reduced on some measures. The completion rate was also broadly comparable with previous years.

Impact on Flourishing

Participants reported on average a 8% overall increase in Flourishing[i]

Table 2 below shows the impact of Stoicism which on each element of Flourishing.

Flourishing
Scale Item

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

Theme

1. I lead
a purposeful and meaningful life.

12

15

15

16

14

10

Purpose
and meaning

2. My
social relationships are supportive and rewarding.

10

13

13

11

11

10

Relationships

3. I am engaged and interested in my daily activities.

10

12

8

10

10

10

Engagement
in activities

4. I
actively contribute to the happiness and well-being of others.

7

10

10

10

8

8

Benevolent

5. I am competent and capable in the
activities that are important to me

6

8

6

7

8

5

Competent

6. I am a
good person and live a good life.

7

8

8

8

9

8

Ethically
Good

7. I am
optimistic about my future.

9

11

10

12

11

18

Optimism

8. People
respect me.

5

7

9

7

7

5

Respected

Table 2: Impact on Flourishing

As in previous years, results suggest Stoicism has a particularly large positive impact on purpose and meaning (item 1.)

Impact on Satisfaction with Life

Participants
reported an average 12% increase in
satisfaction with life overall as measured by the Satisfaction with Life Scale.[ii].

Table 3 below shows which aspects of Satisfaction with Life increased the most. As in previous years, the theme of acceptance(question 5) showed by the biggest increase – 17%.

Percentage change by each question

2018% increase

2017% increase

2016 %
increase

2015 % increase

2014 %increase

2013 % increase

Theme

1.
In most ways my life is close to my ideal

13

16

10

20

15

18

Life
is ideal

2.The
conditions of my life are excellent

10

11

13

13

15

11

Externals
met

3.
So far I have got the important things I want in life.

9

10

10

13

13

11

Needs
met

4.
I am satisfied with my life

11

14

13

14

15

17

Satisfaction

5.
If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing

17

19

24

20

17

17

Acceptance

Table 3: Impact on
Satisfaction with Life

Impact on Emotions

There was a substantial increase in positive emotions and decrease
in negative emotions as reported by participants who took part in Stoic
Week. There was a greater shift in negative
emotions than positive emotions (14% as opposed to 9,5%) as measured by the
SPANE.[iii] The positive emotions that
showed the biggest changes in 2018 were “contented“ ( up 14%). All the negative
emotions showed a significant reduction
of between 13 and 15%. Tables 4 and 5 below shows the impact of Stoic Week on positive
and negative emotions.

Positive Emotions

2018
% change

2017
% change

2016
% change

2015
% change

2014
% change

2013
% change

Average positive

9.5

11

10

10

11

9

Contented

14

14

15

14

14

12

Joyful

11

14

12

13

13

12

Happy

10

11

7

11

9

9

Good

7

9

8

9

10

7

Pleasant

8

9

9

9

10

8

Positive

7

9

10

8

13

8

Table 4: Impact on Positive Emotions

Negative Emotions

2018 % change

2017 %change

2016 %change

2015 % change

2014 %change

2013 %change

Average negative

-14

-14

-14

-14

-16

-11

Unpleasant

-13

-15

-17

-16

-17

-8

Bad

-15

-16

-12

-15

-17

-11

Negative

-15

-15

-16

-14

-17

-12

Angry

-14

-12

-13

-14

-15

-13

Afraid

-13

-14

-13

-12

-14

-10

Sad

-15

-13

-14

-12

-14

-10

Table 5: Impact on Negative Emotions

Impact on Stoic Attitudes and Behaviours (SABS 4.0)

The Stoics Attitudes and Behaviours Scale (v4.0) is a scale being developed by the Modern Stoicism team to assess a person’s degree of Stoicism. Appendix D contains a full list of items, their meanings and also the range of scores at the end of Stoic Week 2018. Comparisons in SABS scores before and after Stoic Week allow us to assess whether participants changed with respect to being Stoic taking part in StoicWeek. It also enables us to see in which ways they became more Stoic.

Table 6 below gives the changes in average scores for each item between the beginning and end of Stoic Week for2018. Overall there was an 10% increase in assenting to Stoic attitudes and behaviours from an average of 378at the start and 416 for those completedStoic week .The average SABS for everyone who started (including non-completers) was 372 which would give an average increase of 12%.

#

Item

start

end

% change

1

I think about what the ideal wise
and good person would do when faced with various misfortunes in life

4.8

5.5

15.1

2

It can sometimes be a good thing to
become angry at people.

4.1

4.8

14.7

3

I try to anticipate future
misfortunes.

5.4

5.5

2.6

4

The best idea is to give up trying
to control people and instead focussing on ourselves and our own behaviour.

6.2

6.5

5.1

5

Even if my circumstances in life are
favourable, I will not be consistently happy unless I develop the right
understanding and character.

5.9

6.2

5.1

6

As long as you have the right
attitude, you can lead a good life even in the most difficult circumstances.

5.7

6.0

5.2

7

I rehearse rising above possible
future misfortunes.

5.4

5.8

7.2

8

To flourish as a human being all
you need is good understanding and
good character.

4.8

5.5

15.9

9

I take active steps to reduce the
suffering of others.

5.1

5.5

8.3

10

It doesn’t really matter what other
people think about me as long as I do the right thing.

5.3

5.9

12.8

11

I spend quite a lot of time
dwelling on what has gone wrong in the past.

3.7

4.5

22.4

12

I often think about how small
humanity is compared to how big the universe it.

5.1

5.4

7.2

13

I consider myself a part of the
human race, in the same way that a limb is a part of the human body.

5.1

5.7

11.7

14

When making a significant decision
I ask myself “What really matters here?”

5.3

6.0

12.2

15

We can sometimes influence how
others behave but we can’t completely control other people.

6.4

6.5

2.2

16

I cannot really be harmed by what other
people say.

4.4

5.4

22.4

17

I am committed to helping humanity in
general.

4.5

5.3

18.0

18

The universe is a living thing.

5.0

5.1

3.9

19

I need quite a lot of money in order to be
happy.

5.0

5.3

7.7

20

When I have a problem, I am good at taking
constructive action in a timely manner.

4.9

5.4

10.4

21

It is good to think about life as
an ongoing journey towards becoming a better person.

6.2

6.5

4.8

22

Having good understanding and good
character is all that is required in order to be happy.

4.7

5.5

16.8

23

I am committed to helping my friends.

5.8

6.0

4.6

24

We can’t really control other people.

6.3

6.5

3.9

25

There is a rational and orderly
plan in the universe and in the causation of events.

3.6

4.2

17.9

26

When making a significant decision
I reflect on what a good role model would do.

4.6

5.4

17.1

27

Nothing except our judgements and
voluntary actions are truly under our control in life.

5.9

6.3

6.9

28

I pay attention to my judgments as I am
making them.

5.1

5.7

10.7

29

I need to be well thought of by others in
order to be happy.

4.2

4.8

13.7

30

I spend quite a lot of time worrying about
the future.

3.5

4.2

20.5

31

If bad things happen to you, you are bound
to feel distressed.

3.4

4.0

16.8

32

Bad luck could stop me being happy.

4.0

4.7

18.3

33

I pay
attention to my thoughts about what I intend to do before I act on them.

5.1

5.7

11.0

34

I treat everyone fairly.

5.2

5.8

10.2

35

Whatever happens to you, it’s possible to
rise above it and feel calm.

5.3

5.9

11.0

36

If things don’t go well for my friends, I
can’t lead a good life.

5.0

5.2

3.2

37

I want to become a better person ethically.

6.3

6.5

2.8

38

When a negative thought enters my mind, the
first thing I do is to remind myself that it is just an interpretation
of the situation.

4.3

5.3

22.1

39

We should learn to accept things that are
outside our control.

6.2

6.4

3.1

40

It is right to feel intense and overwhelming
grief after a significant loss.

2.5

3.0

17.3

41

I view other people as fellow-members of the
brother/sisterhood of humankind.

5.4

5.6

5.5

42

Peace of mind comes from accepting that you
should not care about things outside your control.

5.4

6.0

10.2

43

Viewing other people as fellow-members of
the brother/sisterhood of humankind helps me to avoid feeling angry and
resentful.

4.9

5.4

11.4

44

If things don’t go well for me, I can’t lead a good life

4.7

5.3

11.2

45

Every day I think about how small we are in
comparison with the whole universe.

4.2

4.8

15.9

46

Our voluntary actions are amongst the only
things truly under our control in life.

5.8

6.2

6.3

47

It is my duty to help others.

5.4

5.8

5.6

48

I can’t control how I feel.

4.9

5.4

10.4

49

I do not act on urges when it would be
unwise to act on them.

4.6

5.2

13.1

50

Recognizing that being the best kind of
person is the only thing that matters helps me face how short life is.

4.8

5.5

14.0

51

I need to be in good health in order to be
happy.

3.7

4.3

17.5

52

I regularly spend time reflecting on what is
most important for me to live a good and happy life.

5.1

5.7

10.0

53

I usually do the right thing.

5.3

5.7

6.9

54

Every day I spend some time
reflecting in a constructive way on how I am doing as a human being.

4.3

5.3

21.9

55

I do the right thing even when I feel
afraid.

4.8

5.4

12.1

56

Improving my ability to reason well and
develop good judgement is very important.

6.4

6.5

1.7

57

I am committed to helping my family.

6.2

6.3

1.5

58

Every day I spend some time thinking about
how I can best face challenges in the day ahead.

4.8

5.5

14.9

59

The universe is benevolent in its overall
plan.

3.7

4.2

13.3

60

I regularly think about the
inevitability of death.

5.0

5.2

4.1

61

Pleasure is one of the most
important things in life.

4.2

4.7

11.2

62

Our judgements are amongst the only
things truly under our control in life.

5.7

6.2

8.9

63

Even when I can’t do anything more
about a problem I still worry about it a lot.

3.3

4.2

27.4

64

I care about the suffering of
others.

5.8

5.9

2.1

65

Every day I reflect on how all
human beings are just like me in important ways.

4.3

5.0

15.8

66

I often do what I feel like doing
rather than doing what I believe to be the right thing.

4.4

5.0

12.4

67

I try to treat everybody fairly
even those people who I don’t particularly like.

3.9

4.7

17.9

68

Every day I think about our place
in the universe.

5.5

5.8

5.9

69

I see my happiness as fully compatible
with caring for other people.

5.4

5.8

6.9

70

There is no overall plan to the
universe.

3.2

3.7

14.3

71

I think about my life as an ongoing
project to become a better person.

5.9

6.2

6.0

72

I try to treat people fairly even
those people who have behaved badly towards me.

5.3

5.7

8.1

73

If things don’t go well for my
family, I can’t lead a good life

4.4

4.8

10.2

74

Improving my ability to do what an
excellent human being would do is very important to me.

5.9

6.2

5.6

75

I am committed to helping in my
local community.

4.8

5.3

9.8

76

The universe embodies wisdom.

4.1

4.7

14.0

77

Some things that matter a lot for
my happiness are outside my control.

3.7

4.5

23.2

Table 6: Impact of taking part in Stoic Week 2018 on Stoic attitudes and behaviours

The SABS items that showed the biggest percentage increases during Stoic Week were as follows

#

Item

Start score

End score

% change

63

Even when I can’t do anything more
about a problem I still worry about it a lot.

3.3

4.2

27.4

77

Some things that matter a lot for
my happiness are outside my control.

3.7

4.5

23.2

11

I spend quite a lot of time
dwelling on what has gone wrong in the past.

3.7

4.5

22.4

16

I cannot really be harmed by what other
people say.

4.4

5.4

22.4

38

When a negative thought enters my mind, the
first thing I do is to remind myself that it is just an interpretation
of the situation.

4.3

5.3

22.1

54

Every day I spend some time
reflecting in a constructive way on how I am doing as a human being.

4.3

5.3

21.9

30

I spend quite a lot of time worrying about
the future.

3.5

4.2

20.5

The SABS items which had the highest scores at the end of Stoic week were as follows:

#

Item

Start score

End score

% change

24

We can’t really control other people.

6.3

6.5

3.9

15

We can sometimes influence how
others behave but we can’t completely control other people.

6.4

6.5

2.2

4

The best idea is to give up trying
to control people and instead focussing on ourselves and our own behaviour.

6.2

6.5

5.1

56

Improving my ability to reason well and
develop good judgement is very important.

6.4

6.5

1.7

37

I want to become a better person ethically.

6.3

6.5

2.8

21

It is good to think about life as
an ongoing journey towards becoming a better person.

6.2

6.5

4.8

39

We should learn to accept things that are
outside our control.

6.2

6.4

3.1

27

Nothing except our judgements and
voluntary actions are truly under our control in life.

5.9

6.3

6.9

57

I am committed to helping my family.

6.2

6.3

1.5

All SABS items moved in the expected direction

The 10% change in Stoic Attitudes and Behaviours overall is significant in that it supports the view that it is changes in level of Stoicism that is mediating the change in well-being rather than other variables, such as a placebo effect.

Conclusions

For the fifth year running, taking part in Stoic Week led to a significant increase in well-being on all measures and in degree of Stoicism. The more comprehensive SABS 4.0 gives us more detail about which Stoic attitudes and behaviours changed the most.